A recently expanded Collection of four short stories by C. T. Christensen, as follows: ARTICLE SIX: Technology can be of the type that has a supporting structure of other, known technologies such as the development of lasers that can be attached to a carriage that is moved under computer control and used to cut steel parts. Technology that hangs out on the edge of knowledge with only math, a couple of crude experiments, and speculation to support it would be similar to the first atomic bomb test where it was thought that it might set the atmosphere on fire. We begin with the first test of the Harrison-Lake Isolator. This technology is, definitely, of the second type and takes another 43 years to get it to do what it was hoped it would do. 196 years after that first test, very little else has been discovered about the whys and hows of isolator technology. Testing aspects of something that had such an interesting beginning creates more nervousness than interest. Of course, I am talking about planned, thoughtful testing. Once you release a technology to be used by other people--even highly trained and supervised people--those people always seem to find some way to put that technology to their own test. ________________________________________ ELAINE'S GIFT: Poets and song writers are fond of dreams; it is a regular theme of their work. Eddie Calvin has a dream, and he is one of those lucky people that can actually make it real. Of course, poets and song writers seldom make the connection--at least, in their work--between dreams and nightmares. Eddie is living his dream and heading toward a place where that connection will be made. You have probably heard that saying that "A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing." Basically, that refers to incomplete information. But what if you just learned something that turns your dream into a nightmare? Would you really want to know when you would die? Would you want to see the future if it were only the bad things? Eddie Calvin is living his dream, but nightmares are also dreams, and the line between them can be very thin. Eddie's dream is about to take him where what he will learn will be a nightmare theme for the rest of his life. ________________________________________ SHADOWS: Everything that happens has a cause: A nail punctures your tire and you get a flat, or an ATM has a minor electrical problem and you get some extra money. No big deal; things happen. But what if the causes and effects that occur in your life aren't just the normal Brownian motion of everyday life? Would you even know if it wasn't? ________________________________________ RINGSIDE SEAT: Everyone likes to think that they would behave correctly in a tense and dangerous situation. The reality of those kinds of things is that it tends to go from bad to worse as the time grows shorter for you to think and prepare for it. Add in totally unexpected elements that create a situation that you have never dreamed of and... Jerry and Bill are old college buddies that have not managed to get together in a long time. Finally, they are together on a moose hunt in the depths of Alaska and about to be presented with an opportunity to make a decision that, either way, may have consequences for everyone on Earth. No pressure. ________________________________________ Check out all my books at: www.ourwriteplace.com